When Covid-19 manifested itself, I felt there was little to be thankful for. I cried nearly every day worrying about my grandchildre and I thought we were all doomed. The pandemic definitely has been an eye opener! I quickly learned to keep my distance from everyone (although I doubt that the virus knows about the six-foot rule). Masks were donned before entering public establishments, for rare visits to church
meetings, and other gatherings. I became more familiar with Zoom and realized it was invaluable for Family Home Evenings, art lessons, and conferences. I adjusted to seeing choirs harmonizing together with each individual in their own little window. Hand sanitizer now decks every room in the house. Even with all of that, people still get sick, end up in the hospital, and some sadly die from it.
So, what am I grateful for Thanksgiving of 2020? It took me a while to think about these, but here we go (not in any particular order)!
Plants, comic relief, food storage, Wifi, night and day, family, government, health/medicine, music, jobs, forgiveness, hot water, shopping, food, family history, seasons, friendship, a home, a sense of safety, and The Gospel.
Some are self explanatory, but I will attempt to clarify why I chose each topic.
Plants:Â Even though the world seemed to be failing, my plants didnât seem to notice. We had a bountiful harvest from our garden and our flowers kept on blooming.
Comic
Relief:Â Politics of recent days have been very entertaining and often hilarious.
Also, my son-in-law seems to have no social inhibitions. He has used his license as a mental health counselor in very productive ways on social media to keep us all in stitches.
Food storage: While many people were rushing to find any evidence of cleaning supplies, we were prepared and were able to stay at home because somehow we had enough.
Wifi:Â We had a minimum amount of downtime in our ability to connect with family and friends. Technology truly is useful and necessary these days to relief anxiety and worry.
Night and Day:Â We were able to wake up each morning and rest each night. My Dad who is 94 said the secret to long life is to âwake up every morning!â Duh!
Family: We are fortunate to have loving children and grandchildren. They all get along and love each other. If anyone is in need, the others rally around to help.
Government:Â Although there were moments of panic and uncertainty this year, I am glad we have a somewhat stable government to control chaos and establish laws. Anarchy does not seem to be an attractive alternative.
Health/Medicine:Â So far, we have been able to avoid the virus (knock on wood)! We were able to continue getting our prescriptions to keep us physically and mentally stable. I am especially grateful to my daughter who has seen to it that I get my medication and she has checked on me nearly every day to see how I am doing!
Music: I can escape the troubles of the day usually by listening to my favorite music. It is soothing and inspiring. I couldnât live without music. Luckily, several of our children and grandchildren love music too and share their talents with us.
Jobs: Unfortunately, many people became suddenly unemployed due to the pandemic. Although we are retired, we both had small jobs that brought in a bit of income so we were
not destitute. My little job on Poshmark, teaching online, and writing, together with my husbandâs job as a driver, kept us busy and provided extra income.Â
Forgiveness: A few times the pressure got too much for me and I usually took out my frustration on those closest to me. Staying with the same person 24/7 when you are used to having some alone time does cause friction. We had to learn a new way of surviving âtogetherâ. Since my husband and I are both stubborn individuals, it took extra effort to forgive.
Hot water: I cannot remember a time this year when we did not have hot water. I love long hot baths. I do remember when we lived in the South Pacific, often the electricity would go off and cold showers are not my favorite.
Shopping: After some stores reopened, I made an escape with my mask and braved the local Goodwill, Ross, Savers, etc. It was not only my therapy, but also provided me with exercise (walking) which I might otherwise not have gotten. The only problem with that is I have become a bit of a hoarder.
Food: Although I am a few pounds heavier than I was at the beginning of this year, I have never starved or even come close to it. My husband loves to cook and he usually fixes enough to feed a family of ten in the process. Luckily I eat leftovers!
Family history: Both my husband and I have spent some of our time doing family history. We published a book that is on Amazon about our experiences when we were on a mission in Tonga. It is named âThe Tender Mercies of the Lord in the Tonga Nukuâalofa
Mission 1989-1992â. That was quite a project. Also, we have spent some time searching out our ancestors. Although the temples were temporarily, we could still do research online. My husband was still able to do sealings in the temple, although it was limited.
The Seasons:Â Winter, spring, summer, and fall come whether or not the world is shaken up a bit. i love the beauty of the earth and particularly enjoy the change of seasons in Utah. I prefer spring and summer when the temperatures are not extreme. It has been a particularly dry year so I hope we get some needed moisture soon.
Friendship:Â I have been able to reconnect with old friends and receive inspirational messages from them when things are going south. It seemed everyone was trying to uplift each other due to the negativity. Some classmates became ill or had accidents and it was a hard to deal with at times. It is good to know that you have friends you can turn to for comfort.
A home: We have lived near our grandchildren now since 2013. We have enjoyed being able to see them (even from a distance) much more than when we lived in Hawaii. We love being a bigger part of their lives and feel content to call this home. We are able to have missionaries living with us which also gives us comfort.
A Sense of Safety: Even with the earthquake we experienced about the beginning of the pandemic, we were able to receive updates and also were able to get insurance for the next time (hopefully it wonât happen again)! Also, my children gifted me with âRingâ so I felt much safer when crime increased due to the failing economy. Also, we live in a neighborhood that informs others of crimes or suspicious activity.
The Gospel:Â It has also given me a feeling of safety. Knowing that we have a living prophet who guides us is very consoling. We can receive personal inspiration through our knowledge of Jesus Christ and His love for all of His children. Having and reading the scriptures and singing hymns has been a blessing, even when we could not physically attend church.Â
Well, there you have it! I could go on and on, but these are the things that stood out in my mind from this year I am grateful for. A pandemic puts a bit of a twist on things and there is a heightened level of appreciation for simple things. It has definitely been a challenging year, but we are happy that we are still enjoying this life and have faith in a new tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
